Increased international collaboration is vital towards crime prevention and strengthening of criminal justice and promotion of rule of law, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Heritage, Ambassador Raphael Faranisi has said.
Ambassador Faranisi was speaking at the thirty third session of the commission on crime prevention and criminal justice in Vienna Austria where he reiterated Zimbabwe’s commitment to countering terrorism in partnership with global nation states.
“With the rise in transnational organised crime in all its dimensions, and the need for joint efforts in confronting it, we call for increased collaboration and international cooperation to enhance crime prevention, strengthen criminal justice and promote the rule of law in a manner that leaves no one behind,” he said.
Ambassador Faranisi also said the nation of Zimbabwe is cognisant to the challenges posed by organised crime.
“We are also alive to the challenge of illicit drugs, and the increasing links between drug trafficking, corruption and other forms of organised crime, including trafficking in persons, trafficking in fire arms, cyber crime, money laundering and terrorism and its financing.”
On behalf of the country ,he reiterated Zimbabwe’s support for the UNODC’s Global Programme on Preventing and Countering terrosrism , stressing the importance of good governance and transparency in curbing crime in the world.
“Zimbabwe welcomes UNODC’s Global programme on Preventing and Countering terrorism (2022-2027) and undertakes to play its part domestically, regionally and internationally in preventing and countering the terrorism scourge. We therefore stress on the need to continue fighting corruption, promoting good governance, transparency and accountability, and we will, on our part, ensure that acts of corruption are fully, independently and impartially investigated, with those responsible being brought to justice,” said Ambassador Faranisi.
The thematic discussion for this year is focusing on international cooperation in criminal matters. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) new World Wildlife Crime Report finds that – despite positive signs in reducing trafficking impacts for some iconic species like elephants and rhinoceros – wildlife trafficking overall has not been substantially reduced over two decades.
